The present invention relates to retractor systems for use during invasive surgical medical procedures.
During surgical medical procedures, a surgeon will typically make an incision in a patient to access the site of interest for the particular surgical procedure. To maintain clear access to the site of interest, a surgical retractor system is typically utilized. A surgical retractor system typically consists of a rail clamp, a frame connected to the rail claim by a universal connecting joint mechanism, and retractor blades that are connected to the frame by additional universal connecting joint mechanisms. The rail clamp is commonly secured to an operating table and provides a fixed and sturdy support for the frame and the retractor blades. Each of the components in a typical surgical retractor system is conventionally made of stainless steel. The reason that stainless steel is generally used is that stainless steel is easily sterilized. As would be expected, before any use of the surgical retractor system can be made during a surgical procedure, the system must be thoroughly sterilized for the protection of the patient.
Surgical retractor systems have been made of other materials in the past, such as aluminum and titanium. The common characteristic of all of these materials is that they are highly durable and easily sterilized. That is, these materials are not porous and easily lend themselves to typical sterilization procedures used in modem day hospitals.
One major drawback of the otherwise excellent materials used in the present surgical retractor systems is that they are capable of conducting an electrical current throughout the entire retractor blade's frame and rail clamp down to the surgical table. This can lead to complications in such modem day practices as electro-cauterization where electricity is used to cauterize or stop the bleeding of blood vessels. The electro-cautery units used for such cauterization are similar to arc welders in that the patient is grounded with a negative wire (attached to the patient with conductive and adhesive pads), and the positive wire or pencil is touched to a blood vessel thereby creating a circuit and heat and thereby cauterizing-the blood vessel.
As can be recognized, surgical retractor systems made of the materials identified above and widely used in the industry can interfere with the cauterization of the electro-cautery units. In particular, should the electrical circuit sought to be completed through the patient instead be completed through the surgical retractor system, the desired cauterization will not take place.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a surgical retractor system that can be used confidently in surgical procedures where electro-cauterization must be performed.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a surgical retractor system that includes an electrical insulation between the surgical retractor blades and the surgical table on which the rail clamp is mounted.
A further object of the invention is to provide a surgical retractor system that includes electrical insulation and maintains the effective sterilization characteristics of present surgical retractor systems.